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Report: Redskins must interview Gray again

From everything we're hearing inside the organization, Coach Jim Zorn officially will be fired early this week as the Redskins continue their latest major reorganization under owner Daniel Snyder.

Also in the next few days, Mike Shanahan will be introduced as the next head coach and new General Manager Bruce Allen will meet with Washington's current assistants, some of whom are under contract for the 2010 season. The Redskins' transition plan, however, could be altered if the NFL requires the team to re-interview secondary coach Jerry Gray to satisfy the Rooney Rule, as ESPN reported today.

If today's report is correct, it's possible that Gray will not have to go through the entire interview process again. When he originally interviewed, the team asked the league whether that satisfied the Rooney Rule. The league, in turn, asked the Fritz Pollard Alliance, the group that oversees diversity hiring in the NFL, to review the matter.

After talking at length with Gray on at least two occasions, Alliance officials concluded that Gray was, in fact, a legit job candidate and the team had complied with the Rooney Rule. But that was when Vinny Cerrato was still the team's executive vice president of football operations. When Allen was named general manager, John Wooten, the presiden of the Alliance, recommended to the NFL that Gray be given the opportunity to interview with Allen. From the Alliance's perspective, the additional interview was not a requirement, Wooten said.

Even if Gray interviews again, the coaching staff soon will undergo another makeover. And then Shanahan and Allen will be on the clock.

In Snyder's 11 seasons as owner, the Redskins have missed the playoffs eight times. The last two seasons, they finished last in the NFC East. And for only the second time since the AFL-NFL merger, Washington this season failed to win a game against a division rival.

Cerrato, Washington's recently ousted top football official, espoused a player-personnel philosophy that resulted in roster deficiencies that must be addressed. The offensive line is among the NFL's worst. In addition to a lack of talent at the top of the depth chart along the line, the group also lacks quality depth.

Although the line would seem to be an obvious place to start for Allen and Shanahan, there are other pressing roster matters. Shanahan is eager to draft and "raise" a young quarterback, league sources familiar with his plans said.

And in addition to the obvious roster work before them, Allen and Shanahan have other internal issues that require their immediate attention. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is scheduled to receive a $21 million roster bonus in March, so it would be a good idea to make sure he is supportive of Shanahan's approach on defense.

With fan unrest at an all-time high, Snyder will lean on Allen and Shanahan to help restore the Redskins to prominence. Allen is considered an effective football administrator and Shanahan won consecutive Super Bowl titles with the Denver Broncos when Hall of Famer John Elway was the team's quarterback.

Allen and Shanahan will have Snyder's full support as they try to remake the Redskins. But Snyder has provided significant resources for all of his other coaches with relatively to show for the millions he has spent.

Will Allen and Shanahan finally provided a winning formula for Snyder? To be sure, Redskins fans are hopeful. And we're definitely curious.

But before we move on to the next chapter in Redskins history, Zorn has one game remaining as an NFL head coach. Obviously, the game doesn't matter to the Chargers, who have clinched the AFC West title, a second seed in the playoffs and first-round bye. The Redskins will send Zorn out a winner: Redskins 24, Chargers 10.

RICHMOND will not be seeing the debacle on the "TIJUANA TROLLY." The local affiliates have no interest in seeing a dismissed D.C. coach lead his new club against the eviscerated ZORN group. I would call them a mob, but BA's on the job, so I'm elevating the REDSKINS to group status for this one game.

Gray - schmay. Who cares besides the league. Off the unit's play for the past several years I say it's a yawner. If he becomes HC my days as a REDSKIN are done.

For crying out loud change the Rooney Rule already, satisfy the black population - it seems everyone wants to do that - and hire only blacks, and in the case when there are no available blacks, then hire some minority, and in the event there is no one else then consider some white person.

By the way I am not white, but I am tire of this farce, and I want to concentrate on the game when I get to the sports pages.

So you get fired, will get paid $2.5 million bucks, and your hope is to '..go out a winner..'?

If I'm Jim Zorn, I call double-reverses, Hail Mary's on first down, insides kicks for field goals, wear my hat backwards, ask FOX sideline reporter Pam Oliver if her lips are as warm and soft as they are thick, and put ARE in as quarterback.

And when folks ask why, I say, "I'm getting fired today, but will walk away with $2.5 million bucks."

After talking at length with Gray on at least two occasions, Alliance officials concluded that Gray was, in fact, a legit job candidate and the team had complied with the Rooney Rule. But that was when Vinny Cerrato was still the team's executive vice president of football operations. When Allen was named general manager, John Wooten, the presiden of the Alliance, recommended to the NFL that Gray be given the opportunity to interview with Allen. From the Alliance's perspective, the additional interview was not a requirement, Wooten said.

By Jason Reid and Rick Maese | January 3, 2010; 11:51 AM ET

...proving that John Wooten, the Fritz Pollard Alliance, and the Rooney Rule are about as relevant to professional football as a baked potato.

Golly, I'm shocked, absolutely shocked that the Redskins may have screwed up this hiring-and-firing thing. Incredible for a franchise that usually gets everything right...

Posted by: NateinthePDX | January 3, 2010 12:50 PM

Hard to see how the Redskins are at fault in this one. They've done all they could to satisfy the requirement. It's the NFL and the "Fritz Pollard Alliance" that want to set up another mock meeting. Why? What will it accomplish?

The Rooney Rule is illegal and it is great to see the Redskins make a mockery of it. The Rooney "rule" stands in direct violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibiting discrimination in the workplace. At some point, the NFL will hopefully get sued over it and the Rooney Rule will be challenged in court, and if so--it will be handily defeated.

Suppose an owner will only interview a certain number of candidates for a head coaching position. He tells his GM to get him the 5 best candidates to interview. The GM makes a list of the 5 best candidates, but unfortunately there is no minority candidate on his list. The owner says he doesn't want to interview more than 5 candidates, so the GM must cut out one of the 5 most qualified in this instance in order to fit in a minority candidate into the process. This, folks, is workplace discrimination--and it is illegal.

Not to mention the many other flaws with the rule, including how demeaning it is to minorities who are brought in when the ownership already knows who they want to hire. Furthermore, what is the NFL's definition of a minority? 1 parent who is not white? 1 grandparent? I am 1/4 Hispanic, would I satisfy the NFL's requirement (considering our government counts me as a Hispanic)?

Last but not least, what is the point of all of this? The argument that there are not enough black head coaches in the NFL when compared to the number of black players is beyond absurd. Playing in the NFL does not equate to being a good coach in the NFL. Joe Gibbs never played a down in the NFL yet is considered one of the greatest coaches ever. The skills involved in coaching are far, far different from the skills that make one a good player. That is why one would expect to see the racial breakdown of our NFL head coaches more resemble our society (12% black) than that of NFL players (67% black).

L-S, I'm not saying it's impossible the Pollardites moved the goalposts, and in fact it does seem that the rules are changing, which looks not only unfair but stupid... I'm just saying it comes as no surprise that Snyder's regime would get themselves sideways on some procedural matter.

I won't waste our time challenging your assumption that whatever Jerry Gray did or did not do by way of an "interview" was a "mock meeting"... that's like the people up here claiming that Zorn resumed play calling when Cerrato left, as an explanation for how the team resumed stinking offensively after being good in those two games (NO and OAK). We may never know the truth.

Redskins news release: Our press conference scheduled for 2 PM on Tuesday to introduce a new coach has been post-poned until 4 so that we can interview all qualified candidates. At 4 PM, Coach Shanahan will take your questions...

LS I think the last interview is to clear up a gray area that the Skins took advantage of. There can only be compliance if the HC position is actually vacant.

Barno1 your example is exactly the reason the Rooney Rule was needed. How many years had owners say that there were no minorities qualified to be HC candidates. Tony Dungy failed to get interviews for years. Would Tomlin been hired based on your example? In a white male dominated environment, how many minorities would actually be consider highly qualified, ie. minorities will be less qualified because they would not be HC and thus not have the "required" experience. The Rule was put in effect to address these past discriminatory practices. Based on your example, the Rooney Rule is indeed still required.

Not sure which Barno that is, but can you claim that the seven head coaches acknowledged to be of minority ethnicity during the first eighty-odd years of the NFL's history reasonably represented the "most qualified" candidates available in all that time?

And can you therefore claim that the seven head coaches in the NFL as of today who are of minority ethnicity, seven-odd years after the implementation of the Rooney Rule -- a rule which only requires interviewing, not hiring -- indicates that minority candidates are getting the foot in the door necessary to be evaluated on their merits... a foot in the door they apparently lacked for the previous eighty-odd year?

Good grief, people upset about an interviewing requirement for this club of rich dudes..

Good grief, people upset about an interviewing requirement for this club of rich dudes..

Posted by: NateinthePDX | January 3, 2010 1:09 PM | Report abuse

I think that any time I hear anyone b*** about anything NFL related. The players union thinks its getting screwed by something when its a union where almost everyone in it are part of the richest 5% in the US. Just think about that for a minute, a 3rd string QB is richer than 95% of the USA.

Looks like the dismal play of the Skinnies could reduce the Redskin viewing area.
The Tidewater Virginia area will not see the Skinnies on TV for the first time in almost 20 years.
This could be bad news for merchandise sales and TV $'s.

You've got it exactly backwards. He made Elway good. Elway didn't win a Super Bowl until Shanahan took over.

Posted by: League-Source | January 3, 2010 12:53 PM | Report abuse

you're both right. Elway+Shanny+Davis+Stud OL+Solid D=Championship.

It takes a village.

Posted by: Original_etrod | January 3, 2010 1:02 PM |

I watched a lot of Denver football during the Elway years. I don't think it's that Shanahan necessarily made Elway good, rather it was Reeves who butted heads with Elway, who was not necessarily the greatest coach in big games and whose presence was a limiting factor in Elway's winning a Super Bowl. Elway was an excellent QB during Reeves' tenure *despite* Reeves. He needed Shanahan to free him up -- that's my perception. I don't know that Shanahan actually made Elway any better.

Yes, but I tend to display things from a US homers POV, because people with a worldly perspective don't need as much convincing, a little but not much. Now people with a universal POV they are the ones that need the most convincing, they just cant see why these little things matter.

I also love the notion that the NFL will get sued over it... since it's a rule they implemented themselves, a rule one of the owners proposed (Mr. Rooney).

I join you in hoping for the day that a white guy, aggrieved by what he perceives to be Rooney Rule-driven constraint of his opportunity to be a head coach, sues the NFL. I would absolutely love to see that one go to court.

Not seeing the Redskins on TV this weekend is a blessing. I'm a lifelong fan but I can't stomach another crap game like we've been seeing. There is no incentive whatsoever for Redskins players who have put in a putrid effort to date to give any kind of decent effort today. TV networks probably got pressured by sponsors to show something more meaningful that will keep fans interested.

Nate, I base my assertion that Zorn reassumed play calling duties upon live shots of him calling the plays from his checklist. During the ShLewis pc tenure, video showed Zorn listening and checking plays off the list.

During the Dallas and NYG telecasts, Zorn was clearly calling the plays. He had already basically admitted that he called plays wtf he wanted to call them Vinny be damned PRIOR to Vinny's firing.

Said I wasn't gonna get into this, but how did the Redskins F up if the goal posts were clearly moved?

Seems to me the Redskins had two coaching jobs: in season and after season.

Seems to me the Redskins complied with the intent of the rule namely "get minorities a foot in the door with a legit interview".

I think that is clearly what happened with Gray. If he interviewee well, or wanted the job, it could have been his for the rest of the year and he would have gotten a legit and square deal shot to interview for the job going forward. Very similar to what is happening in Buffalo. For whatever reason, maybe Snyderatto didn't think he had "it", or maybe he didn't want the job, or maybe he wanted to keep the job into next year and said rest of this year he wasn't interested, whatever, the Redskins never pulled the trigger in season to 86 Zorn and elevate Gray.

I also don't think Gray got looked at because he was black. He got looked at because he was the logical and obvious guy to takeover in a mid year situation. It just so happened that he is black, and therefore satisfied the Rooney rule, before now all of the sudden he didn't.

Is there a viable candidate not named Dungy who has the chops and pedigree of Shanahan or Cowher? Is any candidate not named Dungy going to have a "legit" shot of landing a Bills or Redskins job assuming money is not the driving factor in the decision matrix? Is any rooney complying candidate going to be termed "token" if he fails to get the job and Cowher or Shanahan are hired instead? Is the candidate going to be vilified for having no self respect or personal pride if he interviews knowing he is a long shot to beat out Cowher or Shanahan but does so anyway?

Don't have me interview me for a job I know I'm not going to get. It's tough for all assistants out there with so many Super Bowl winning coaches out there. Mike Shanahan, Bill Cowher, Mike Holmgren and Brian Billick are all more qualified that Jerry Gray.

You are not a racist, redneck, hillbilly, cracker, honkie, etc. if you think that Gray is not more qualified than these guys.

All you Rooney Rule advocates get to see Gray go through the interview process again! I hope it makes you feel better? If I was Gray I'd tell them to go to you know where and make them interview another Minority...the rule really is a SHAM!

So you get fired, will get paid $2.5 million bucks, and your hope is to '..go out a winner..'?

If I'm Jim Zorn, I call double-reverses, Hail Mary's on first down, insides kicks for field goals, wear my hat backwards, ask FOX sideline reporter Pam Oliver if her lips are as warm and soft as they are thick, and put ARE in as quarterback.

And when folks ask why, I say, "I'm getting fired today, but will walk away with $2.5 million bucks."

"I just decdied to end things on a professional note?"

Posted by: MistaMoe | January 3, 2010 12:45 PM | Report abuse

LOL! How about if Zorny calls 3 back to back to back time outs on the Redskins first possesion?

ricky, if the rule says something along the lines of "the people who ultimately make the hiring decision must participate in the interview(s) of the minority candidate(s)", and if Jerry Gray's interview pre-dated Bruce Allen's hiring, and if Bruce Allen's job includes making or contributing significantly to the hiring decision, then yeah, I can see how the Redskins didn't satisfy the rule.

The question is whether the Skins got a green light from the Pollardites and subsequently got a red light from the Pollardites upon further review of their own rules.

My heart is big enough to consider both the Redskins and the Pollard people wrong on this one.

When you think about Mike Shanahan and Denver, you think about one thing.

A Great Offensive Line.

Let's hope we can keep the tradition of the Hogs going

Posted by: mardiros | January 3, 2010 1:42 PM | Report abuse

A great offensive line, to be sure. I think they took a somewhat different approach in that they used smaller guys than were the Hogs, but they were also quicker. I don't know that one approach is any better than another and perhaps it was smart coaching to utilize the (relatively) smaller linemen more appropriate to their strengths, whereas the Hogs were more of a blunt force. (And yes, I do recall counter-trey.)

I won't waste our time challenging your assumption that whatever Jerry Gray did or did not do by way of an "interview" was a "mock meeting"... that's like the people up here claiming that Zorn resumed play calling when Cerrato left, as an explanation for how the team resumed stinking offensively after being good in those two games (NO and OAK). We may never know the truth.

Posted by: NateinthePDX | January 3, 2010 1:02 PM

I agree with your characherization of the first interview -- "who knows?" But a second one, by Allen instead of Vinnie, would be a mock meeting if the decision has already been taken based on the assurance that the first one satisfied the requirement. It's like using instant replay to overturn a ruling on the field -- but waiting until after three more plays.

In fact, if we don't expect anything to work, then none of us should have an opinion on what he should do -- draft a QB, hire a GM, tender JC -- since we already know if he does it, it won't work. Man, this is tough.

Kaneohe, I think almost everything Snyder does is wrong on some level. So that means I'm prepared for the possibility that the team did something wrong here. It doesn't look like it, but given the opportunity, the Snyder regime tends to screw things up. That's all I was saying.

Speculative Scenario: BA's hiring was a result of Gray not getting the job after a midseason firing of Zorn. It was gonna be Gray/Cerrato (to the end of the year). Once that fell through, for whatever reason, Snyder saw no reason to keep Cerrato around and he pulled the trigger to get his Coach in Waiting's personal GM in place.

David Aldridge was on the tube saying that Snyder the marketing exec would never make an announcement of Zorn's firing if he could instead turn it into an announcement of Mike Shanahan's hire. I thought that made sense. And I think it unlikely that he'll let a reinterpretation of the Rooney rule slow him down much.

L-S, this stance vis-a-vis Snyder doesn't necessarily mean abdicating the right to have opinions about things. It just means seeing every move in the context of eleven seasons without a title, and most of those without even the semblance of a coherent plan to work towards a title.

F Snyder, is what I'm saying. Show me a consistent winner, show me a title team, and stop flogging us with empty comments about the legacy of the team and its great fan base.

Kaneohe, I think almost everything Snyder does is wrong on some level. So that means I'm prepared for the possibility that the team did something wrong here. It doesn't look like it, but given the opportunity, the Snyder regime tends to screw things up. That's all I was saying.

Posted by: NateinthePDX | January 3, 2010 2:03 PM | Report abuse

Ok, i see that there is at least a modicum of a tongue in cheek aspect to your post.

I agree that Snyder does present an easy target, and a LOT the targeting (but not all) is a result of his blunders.

One area where Snyder, in my opinion, is above reproach is minority hiring and employment practices. Because of this, I think he deserves, and has earned, a pass on this latest brouhaha.

Ricky, if an up and coming non minority candidate with no real chance to get THIS (generic) job would have gotten an interview, but does not because another up an coming candidate who is a minority gets the last interview slot instead, is that racist? And vice versa?

24-10 Redskins? Really? I think old Norv can't wait to beat a dead horse and an opportunity to stick it to The Danny. 56-17 Chargers. I hope Zorn's stuff is already packed, its a shorter flight from San Diego than DC to Seattle.

This season since the last week in September has been like the last scene from "The Longest Yard" (1974 version). Let the offseason begin... Please for the love of God!

"Speculative Scenario: BA's hiring was a result of Gray not getting the job after a midseason firing of Zorn. It was gonna be Gray/Cerrato (to the end of the year). Once that fell through, for whatever reason, Snyder saw no reason to keep Cerrato around and he pulled the trigger to get his Coach in Waiting's personal GM in place.
Posted by: SkinsfaninKaneohe"

Could be. You see how tenacious Zorn has been about making the team fire him. From a contract standpoint, that's smart -- apparently they're not offering him the usual golden parachute (maybe it wasn't in his contract) and that means he needs to hold the line on termination. And who knows what they've promised Jerry Gray? Certainly not the Skins' head coach job.

Hard to see how the Redskins are at fault in this one. They've done all they could to satisfy the requirement. It's the NFL and the "Fritz Pollard Alliance" that want to set up another mock meeting. Why? What will it accomplish?

Im tired of the reporters stating that this is Zorns last game when they have no FACTS to back that up. These comments we posts are for opinions, shouldnt the reporters deal with facts?
The facts that I know are:
1)We have a new GM to determine the proper course for this team, not Cerrato.
2)The horrible O-Line, suspect receivers and injuries ruined this season.
3)Zorn has been impressive in his handling the situations
4)Teams with some consistance at Head Coach and QB do much better

Unless they have facts otherwise, they should give Zorn respect to let these changes go through the course that Allen has in mind and state that they may interview others and decide to stick with Zorn and Campbel, groom a future QB, and patch some obvious holes in talent and depth instead of continuing the coaching carrosel.
But I keep reading they are to introduce Shannahan early next week. Fact or unqualified opinion?

Like the QUOTA on interviewing minority applicants or the TOKEN Interviews they get.

Posted by: filmchis | January 3, 2010 2:26 PM

Having a person interview doesn't limit the amount of the potential pool for the HC position. In fact, it may actually increase the pool. The Rooney Rule, address the issue where qualified minority individuals were denied access to owners, because they lacked the relationships (PC word there) to be considered. Take for instance Gray, say Allen re-interviews him, finds that he has a plan is well prepared, etc. The Skins job will still go to Shanny, because he's the most qualified. However, in a year when the candidate pool consists of re-treads who have failed, and coordinators on the rise, Allen can refer with confidence Gray to another team based on this past interview. The Rooney Rule has no quotas. If a team wants to only interview a certain amount of candidates, that's on them. It has nothing to do with the Rule. In that instances, the team can interview 5 real "white" (sarcasm) candidates and 1 minority, or 4 and 1, but that's an organizational decision.

For years blacks called whites bigots and racists with facts and evidence to stand on.

These days it seems like the "in-thing" when a black person speaks out against inequality or discrimination or when policy is implemented to discouraged the aforementioned, that person or policy is widely viewed by "white" people as racist or unfair.

How is the Rooney Rule unfair or racist when it actually allows more potentially qualified coaches to be interviewed? It's called creating a "balance".

Just because a rule is created to have minorities is interviewed it doesn't that they'll automatically be hired.

I swear it seems that "some people" are so damn sacred of anything that may compromise the current structure of things, even if it may be beneficial for EVERYONE in the long run.

If anything is "racists" it's people who speak out against anything that will clearly be beneficial for all. As much as some people would like to believe or hope, there isn't a "master race"... As Joe Gibbs would say: "We're all in this together."

So lets try and make it work for everyone and not just a selected few.

I'll be interested to see what happens in AMERICA when whites are no longer counted in the majority of the general population. Then minority rules will apply equally to all, and racism and bigotry will disappear here forever. Ah, "free at last."

haven't seen a Redskins WR make a play on the ball like Sidney Rice just did a a looong time.

Posted by: TWISI | January 3, 2010 2:24 PM
====================
It's been a long time since the skins had a QB who would allow the WR to make a play like that. Campbell would not have thrown that ball, he likes for the skins receivers to be 2-3 yard from the DB before he'll throw it. A QB who is scared to take chances will be a 4-12 QB every year.

The Rule was put in effect to address these past discriminatory practices. Based on your example, the Rooney Rule is indeed still required.

Posted by: TWISI | January 3, 2010 1:07 PM | Report abuse

Remember, we say it's because we want "diversity" now, not because we are making up for past discrimination. The law is written to address current discrimination, not past, ever since the U.S Supreme Court ruled in the 1978 Baake case that race could not be considered as a factor to make up for past discrimination. So the entire premise of your argument--that the Rooney Rule is necessary to address past discrimination--is a nonstarter.

I sincerely home that in a few weeks Zorn gives an interview to the Post and he gives us the inside story on how he was treated like crap this year. I really want to see Snyder and Cerrato embarassed. I despise both of them.

I have a problem with the Rooney Rule. The only thing it really does is give a minority practice at interviewing. There is nothing in the NFL that requires anybody to better qualify the minorities. Maybe teams should be required to hire a minority to be the assistant to the head coach. That way they could actually get training for the job.

There is nothing legally wrong with the Rooney rule. You improperly conflate access with an eventual hire. For example, if the NFL were to declare that 5 of the 32 teams were required to have minority coaches/GMs they would run afoul of the Supreme Court's holding in Bakke (and more importantly, Bakke's more recent progeny Gatz/Grutter v. Bollinger). Such a situation would be an example of a hiring/admissions quota, which those cases stand against. However, there is nothing even remotely illegal about providing increased access for minority candidates (just think of it as a type of minority recruiting program that nearly every college or grad school, and many a large corporation, runs).

Your comparison to the Bakke line of cases is further misplaced as the Rooney rule does not dictate that race is to be used as a consideration in the hiring process. Nowhere does the rule state that race is to be used as a factor when making the HIRING decision (which is very different from the decision of whether or not to interview a candidate). In fact, even if the rule were to state that race could be considered when making a hiring decision, that fact alone would not make it illegal. So long as it is not part of a quota system (or a system that effectively acts like a quota system) race may be considered to achieve the objective of creating a workplace with some baseline of diversity, as such a goal has been found to constitute a compelling public interest.

You will probably argue that the interview process is an integral part of the hiring process, and that a candidate who is excluded from the interview is inherently excluded from being hired. That may be true, but the Court has found that argument to be too tenuous to support a claim of unlawful discrimination.

Norv Turner showed a lot of class today by pulling Rivers after second series and playing his back-ups against the Redskin starters. Amazing how many of Snyder's "failures" (Turner, Brad Johnson, etc.) went on to do great things with other teams. BTW, in case you did not hear, Cowboys won the NFC East. Enjoy the basement (and renew those season tickets and buy some merchandise, keep Danny making money with that bunch of losers you call the Redskins :-)